The other half (more like 70%) of the fitness journey

It has been a while since I had regular posts on The Fitness Buddy that did circle around the thought of an Ironman.

So here it goes and it is something that even This Fitness Buddy struggles with everyday. FOOD! During and since said Ironman I have been struggling with food. One would think if one trains for an Ironman one would lose weight! Right? Well needless to say that did not happen to me, in fact I was 4 pounds heavier at the end of my training. It has been a month plus since the big day and along with a cruise let’s just say it is time to right the ship.

Back to the basics!

I came across an article about Supermarket secrets I like to share with you. So I like to give credit to David Zinczenko of Men’s Health for this information.

So has anyone noticed the cost of healthy food lately? According to the article the cost of fruits, veggies, meat and other high nutrition low calorie foods increased by 19.5%. The article does not state when these prices started to go up, but I imagine they have covered this for at least a year. They gone to say “junk” food is getting CHEAPER! The price of this “food” is down 1.8%. So if you followed a junk food diet it would cost you $3.52 a day to eat compared to a healthy diet of $36.32 a day.

No wonder why are waist size is getting larger.

So what can be done?

How about shop smarter? To many times when I go to the grocery store I am amazed of the speed people do their shopping. Slow down make smart choices will help your pocket book not to mention your waist line.

Figure out your diet and the fitness and health journey becomes much, much, much easier!

There are 25 secrets this article goes over, so this may have to be a multiple post topic. Unless you like reading War and Peace…

1. Fewer ingredients = healthier food – More ingredients equals more additives and preservatives added calories not nutrition. Simple, makes sense look for the fruit and veggies that are in season. Too bad for us in the north most of the farmers market are down for the season, so it is onto the fall and winter fruit and veggies.
2. “Good source of” may mean “bad for you” - WHAT! The claim “good source of” is found everywhere. That phrase is found in cereals, crackers and even Pop Tarts (pause for a moment Pop Tarts). Sure these products have extra vitamins, calcium and other “good” things, but at what cost? Are they really worth the extra calories in the long run? No! Believe it or not the extra vitamins that are added to say cereal actually wash off the cereal once milk is added.
3. Work the edges – Shop on the outside aisles in most stores. Generally this is where most of the healthiest foods are found. The middle aisles are generally a dead zone of nutrition.
4. Look high and low – Food vendors pay for the prime spots to ensure their most profitable foods are at eye level. Most profitable  generally means the cheapest to make, therefore generally not the best for you. When you are shopping look to the bottom and top of the shelf for food that maybe better for you.
5. Beat the breakfast blues – For the best shot to start your day you MUST eat breakfast. Shoot for a high in protein and low in REFINED carbs (notice I said REFINED). That means the egg is generally a better choice over a bowl of cereal, especially the cereal that is more like candy (Fruity Pebbles is an example). Eggs are actually cheaper than cereal, with a box of cereal averaging $.90 a bowl per box, while an egg is $.31 when purchased in a dozen.
6. Buy frozen fruit in cold weather – Fruit out of season is expensive and you need to eat them pretty quick so they don’t spoil. Frozen fruits like blueberries are very close to their fresh brethren.
7. “Reduced fat” may make you fat – How is that for confusing! Cookies and crackers often claim to contain “a 1/3 less fat than the original, but that fat hasn’t just vanished, it simply has been replaced by extra sugar, starch and sodium. Yummy!
8. Check yourself out – The more time you spend in the checkout line the bigger the temptation to buy candy. Plus do you really need to buy one of those DUMB magazines? Today most stores have self checkout lanes, use them.
9. Shop on Wednesday nights - The least amount of people shop on Wednesday. So that means less time waiting in lines and less chance of buying the calorie laden junk!
10. Natural doesn’t mean squat - Marketing Marketing Marketing! Outside the world of meat and seafood the word “natural” is completely unregulated. So 7UP natural or natural bread MEANS NOTHING!

OK that is the first ten. Look for the following 15 in two more post coming soon.

So far what I have learned from this aisle that makes the most sense to me is take longer shopping in the outside aisles, where most of the healthier food sits.

Until next time The Fitness Buddy...